History Lesson: Michael Jordan's failed superbike team

Michael Jordan has been in the news a bit lately. The former NBA superstar is the subject of the 10-part ESPN documentary, The Last Dance. Screened on Netflix in Australia, the docuseries follows Jordan and his Chicago Bulls in their 1997/1998 run to the NBA Championship.

Much like Jordan himself, The Last Dance has become a cultural phenomenon, as fans analyse and scrutinise every quote and tiny detail. But with the focus on his playing days, details of his relatively private post-basketball life were left out.

One such detail was the fact that he once owned an AMA Superbike team, and even had aspirations to take the team to WSBK or MotoGP. Wait, what?

Two-wheel passion

Many might be surprised to learn that Jordan began riding motorcycles in his youth. He claims to have ridden dirt bikes growing up in Wilmington, North Carolina, but when he began his illustrious, and lucrative, NBA career, he was forced to stop riding out of safety concerns.

When he retired for a third and final time in 2003, Jordan was free to reignite his passion for two-wheels. The 198cm basketballer cut an odd figure as he rode a sportsbike through the streets of Chicago. As people became aware of his presence on the road, he was soon joined by dangerous numbers of motorcyclists who wanted to ride with the ‘GOAT’. This forced MJ to ride secretly in the middle of the night.

A chance meeting at a gas station with a local rider named James Casmay eventually led MJ to the track, where he decided he wanted to get involved in the sport in an official capacity. As a lifelong NASCAR fan, Jordan fancied the idea of running his own motorsports team, and given his vast connections in both media and business, it made a lot of sense.

With Jordan’s blessing, Casmay made a call to Pete Mauhar, an experienced race team manager, about forming an AMA Superbike team under the Jordan brand. In a quote from the Air Jordan website, Mauhar said: “I got a call asking whether we’d want to help Michael Jordan go into racing. Honestly, I thought it was some of my friends messing around with me.”

Michael Jordan Motorsports

Michael Jordan Motorsports was born, and MJ enlisted Nike creative director Mark Smith to design race suits, team apparel, bike graphics and even a pair of Air Jordan ‘Motorsport’ sneakers. Smith handled the aesthetic of the team, while Mauhar worked with the bikes and riders. Jordan, of course, was the face, mingling with riders, officials and spectators in the paddock.

The team came together extremely quickly, with Yamaha supplying bikes and high profile sponsors like Gatorade adorning the livery. The team’s inaugural rider, Montez Stewart lined up on his Jordan YZF-R1 at the opening race of the 2004 AMA Pro Road Racing series.

By the end of the season, Stewart had finished 35th in the Supersport class and (ironically) 23rd in Superstock. Team Jordan’s inaugural results were a far cry from Mike’s success with the Bulls. It would have been easy for MJ to throw in the towel, but if you watched The Last Dance, you’ll know that he doesn’t like losing.

New era

With more time to prepare, 2005 was a much better season. The team switched to the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and stepped up to the premier Superbike class with new riders. Steve Rapp finished the season 3rd in the Superstock class and 8th in the Superbike class.

In 2008, Aaron Yates and Geoff May finished 1-2 in the AMA Superstock Championship, giving Jordan his first title in motorsports, but success in the premier class still eluded the team. Yates’ overall 4th place in 2007 was Jordan Suzuki’s best Superbike class finish to date.

Jordan faced a problem that is all too familiar for privateer motorsports teams. The competition was dominated by the factory teams. Despite his wealth and connections, Jordan couldn’t overcome the sheer fact that the factory teams had the best equipment. But in 2009, the tides turned slightly in Jordan’s favour with a new promoter and a number of new rules in the name of uniformity.

First win

In 2010, Jordan Motorsports finally cracked the Superbike class winners circle, with Jake Zemke winning the opening two rounds and finishing the season 3rd overall.

Zemke’s pair of wins at Daytona would ultimately be the peak for Jordan Motorsport. In 2013, the team announced it was stepping away from the AMA Championship, with aspirations to compete internationally from 2014. But financial issues, including the loss of key sponsor, National Guard, proved to be the demise of the team.

In his 15 NBA seasons, he won six championships and five MVP awards, but after 10 years in AMA Superbike racing, Jordan could only muster one race win. It seems even ‘His Airness’ couldn’t take down the might of the factory teams.

But despite not being his greatest triumph, it is still amazing to think that Michael Jordan, the most iconic athlete in history, was roaming the paddocks as a race team owner. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Jordan Motorsports return one day for one ‘last dance’. Get Dorna on the phone.